The piggy bank

It is said that in a democracy we should agree to disagree without being disagreeable and although I am regarded by many as being disagreeable to the point of being an arrogant know it all, I am never accused of being in the business of massaging egos.

Recently I had to remind Honourable Kurt, who many love and admire, that in these serious times when so many are suffering and worrying that he cannot continue to speak his mind about the state of our country as if he is in his caboose cooking turtle meat. While the USA and Europe have been engaged in debate for more regulation of banking operations, especially the manner in which banks deal with consumers, our comfortable legislator has been loudly silent.

The severe downturn in our economy has put unprecedented pressure on family finances without any efforts by our government to protect Caymanians from foreign excesses for which they are not responsible. At the very least our political opposition has a duty to ask what the Cayman Monetary Authority is doing to protect us from predatory and unconscionable banking practices because there is at least one person in CIMA who has experience in prosecution and can provide valuable guidance into consumer protection law.

The expectant cries from fat cats who have lived off the backs of hard working Caymanians should be muted against a background that banks have always been here in good and bad times not because of any philanthropy but because they make large profits. We have been expected to comply with European Union standards on a host of issues from transparency to homosexuality but government is seemingly stifled on matters of mortgages and obscene credit card rates.

Yet even with our great disappointment in this government that we do not trust, we cannot vote them out only to replace them with individuals who have sat on the fence of our political stage for years and years while our country has fallen into the claws of these fat cats. Rather than passionately debating and fighting for our advancements, the Queen’s loyal opposition lead first by Mr. Kurt and now by Mr. Aldin have failed to provide us with their intentions and plans for our future. Instead they have boycotted our parliament, held mock trials outside its door and then retired to Kurt’s Caboose, their preferred debate setting, where they indulge silly platitudes to massage each other’s ego. The PPM must face the seriousness of our present and future challenges for as well as we like Mr. Kurt, he has had little to offer us in the form of political leadership. This does not mean that we cannot still have him at our relatives’ funerals.

There comes a time for everything in this world when it comes to the rights of our people who pay the largest part of their income to banks in satisfaction of their basic human requirement for a home and credit to overcome periodic problems. Government cannot be obsessed with ideas solely of development and economic advance that largely benefit foreign interests and a few. It must be a government by the people and for the people. And if the political opposition and this UDP administration and its airborne jet setting leadership continues to disregard the suffering of thousands of us who struggle daily with financial worries both parties will find a surprise in the ballot box next year when the old is replaced by the new, when the status quo is replaced by change, and when anachronistic cartels are replaced by the innocence of youth.

1 COMMENT

There have to be credit given where credit is due. I will always remember Mr. McField as being an advocate for affordable housing, likewise I will remember Mr. Tibbetts for his leadership and foresight in building the schools and developing the road network. While the PPM worked to develop national essentials, some leaders worked only for the betterment of their district. Mr. Roy Bodden is also a national leader in and out of office; many may say too heavy on the national and too light on the district.

Bermuda OBA party recently announced that if they are elected they would ask some members of PLP to join their cabinet. Now ponder that.

With collaboration in guiding the bit, Bermuda may yet rule that great horse.

Yesterday Aldin said that the PPM haven’t yet put together their ideas for the future of the country. The PPM cannot simply expect to be elected because they are not the UDP, they must have a vision for the country and a plan to achieve said vision. All they seem able to do is to bash the current government. The voters deserve more. The various news outlets need to seek out the PPM solutions to national problems.

I agree with you Panama, But I think the PPM has effectively created so much hatred distrust and confusion when it comes Bush and the UDP that they may well get elected just because they are not the UDP and without having to do any significant campaigning or even have a clue as to what they will need to do to fix the issues.